Described herein are accessories for use with trailer hitches including, for example, chain-up accessories, utility tether accessories, utility pad accessories, seven-way connector cap accessories, and hitch ball cap accessories.
Often it is necessary to tow or pull (referred to generically as “tow”) a “trailer” behind a “tow vehicle” (or just “vehicle”). The tow vehicle may be, for example, a family vehicle (e.g. a car or a truck), a recreation vehicle (e.g. a camper), a commercial vehicle, or any vehicle means known or yet to be discovered having suitable power and structure to tow a trailer. The trailer may be, for example, a utility trailer, a box trailer, an open trailer, an enclosed trailer, a boat trailer, a horse trailer, a travel trailer, a tent trailer, a flatbed trailer, a vehicle with a tow bar, a car dolly, a cargo trailer, or any trailer means known or yet to be discovered suitable for being towed by or behind a tow vehicle.
A “trailer hitch” (sometimes referred to as a “tow hitch”) is a device that attaches to a tow vehicle providing the connection between the tow vehicle and the trailer. Exemplary trailer hitches include, but are not limited to, ball hitches (hitches having trailer hitch ball mounts), stingers, tow hitches, or other connecting means known or yet to be discovered for connecting tow vehicles and trailers. Even among similar types of trailer hitches there is great variation (e.g. there are many trailer hitch ball mounts of different shapes and/or drop lengths on the market). Generally a trailer hitch has two components, one associated with the tow vehicle and one associated with the trailer. Functionally joining or connecting the tow vehicle component of the trailer hitch with the trailer component of the trailer hitch allows the tow vehicle and the trailer to be interconnected.
Various problems are associated with operation and attachment (electrical and mechanical) of a trailer to a tow vehicle via a trailer hitch. The problems may include, but are not limited to, dragging of safety chains on the ground during towing, dragging of wires during towing, impact of a user's shin against a ball hitch, corrosion of a trailer connecting plug, and/or wear of the trailer towing hitch ball.
Patents that may be relevant to each of the trailer hitch accessories are described in the accessory-specific sections of the Detailed Description.